I don’t have a big house, no personal office, and I have four kids, so speakers in the ears became a necessity in order for me to focus on my work.

For the most part, I think the majority of us would agree that some sort of music and coding go hand in hand. There may be a few exceptions, but I have yet to meet them in person.

I’ve found a number of benefits when I listen to music while coding:

I can focus better. With the right music, I get in a zone. Zones are essential for getting things done. When I have the right song playing and nothing else to distract me, I can really devote 100% to what I am doing.

I can eliminate third party distractions. This is a given. If you want to tune out the background, put in headphones.

Finally, I am more productive. Given the above two, this is the conclusion. When you eliminate distractions and really devote yourself to a coding task, you are by default more productive.

But let’s not dwell here. The fact that you are reading this post tells me you are agreeable with the merging of music and coding.

But what music is best? Where can I get some variety? Where can I put something on, and have it play for hours?

Well, let’s discuss:

The Best Music To Listen To While Coding: My Top 2 Choices

On this matter, I have two choices that I recommend as music to listen to while coding. One is free, and the other is available for a small monthly fee.

1. YouTube

Because people have already taken the liberty to put together long mixes for you of any genre out there. In fact, there are a number of live streams that will play all day!!

Now while I like all types of music, I highly favor instrumentals of the electronic flavor when I code. The moment I get someone singing, I lose concentration.

For that reason, I do something like this:

If my mood is peppy and I’m ready to put the work in, I go to YouTube and type in: “uptempo productive music.” I get these results. As you see, nothing is under an hour in duration. I can put it on and I’m good for at least an hour.

If I’m in more of a chilled out mood, I may type in: ‘chill study music’ or ‘chill study beats’ and get these results. Note the Live Streams!

[email protected] is about $10 a month (but I have a gift for you, keep reading) but is backed by all the science needed to justify your skipping a latte. I absolutely love it.

[email protected] boasts that their music selection can 4x your focus and optimize your productivity, all based on neuroscience research. They have over 50 channels with thousands of hours and new tracks.

The player comes with:

A timer to set focus sessions

Energy levels

Productivity tracker

A channel recommender quiz

and more…

The #1 reason I really like [email protected] and recommend this to anyone doing deep work (like coding), is because the music is designed for this very purpose. There is much music out there already for entertainment, art, and expression….but how about music that has been studied and researched with the sole purpose of making one more productive and able to focus deeper?

For me, it does what it advertises very well and in a unique way.

You just have to try it for yourself. They have a two-week free trial, so give it a shot. It may be exactly what you are looking for.